Disney Character Designer RIK MAKI Opens His Sketchbook

Los Angeles, CA June 6, 2006 -- A Premier Exhibition focusing on the work of one of the most prolific Character Designers in animation, RIK MAKI, reveals a seldom seen world of inspiration sketches and designs from the artists's8216; vast collection.The artist will be in attendance at the Opening Reception, Wednesday, June 21st from 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at Van Eaton Galleries, sketching at his animation table â's8364;'s8220; rigged with a special camera and monitor that will allow visitors to see him in action.

Preferring to call himself a quick sketch artist, Maki has spent the past two and a half decades in animation, principally with the Walt Disney Studios, contributing character designs to such features as The Lion King, Finding Nemo, Fantasia 2000, Hercules, Treasure Planet, A Bug'ss Life, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

SCRIBBLIN's ON SCRAP, on display through July 8th, 2006, and is an exhibition and sale of over 150 pieces from what can best be called an unbound sketchbook's8217;. The immediacy of the idea lives on these scraps and burns at its brightest in that first transfer of idea to image - flowing instantly from the mind of the artist to the paper. The result is a treasure trove of artifacts that celebrate the power of the pencil.

Rik Maki has been sketching ever since he was a small boy, with no formal art training, instead, taking his lessons from the artists who inspired him. Including the Dean of Sports Illustrators Willard Mullin, and noted Australian-born editorial cartoonist Lew Saw, as well as the creators of Mad Magazine. Born in Vancouver, Canada, the son of an artist, Maki had a previous career as a minor league baseball pitcher - a passion that still lives in some of the artist'ss most powerful and evocative works: sketches and small portraits of the great ballplayers who inspired him as both a kid and a young man.

In the world of animation, long before the polished final frames flash across the screen, characters are born at the drawing boards of character designers - quite possibly the last hold-outs who refuse to surrender graphite to pixels. RIK MAKI is the consummate character designer; drawing after drawing, idea after idea, the possibilities flow forth in countless pages. Working as fast as the ideas come to him, Maki sketches each vivid, whimsical, sometimes disturbing and frequently hysterical character and situation on every available surface - scraps of cardboard, used envelopes, placemats, newsprint and almost anything within reach. In this increasingly digital age - where even storyboarding is shifting to being rendered on the computer - Rik Maki just keeps on drawingand drawing, and drawing, and drawing.

About Van Eaton Galleries

Van Eaton Galleries is located in Sherman Oaks, California. Michael and Janeen Van Eaton established the gallery in 1994. They would become known for having the most extraordinary and extensive collection of Animation Artwork in the world. The collection includes: Original Production Cels, Production Drawings, Story Boards, Layouts, Production Backgrounds, Fine Art, Entertainment Art and 3 Dimensional pieces to name few.

About Creative Talent Network

(CTN) is a virtual community established in 2004 as a way to keep professionals in the print, games, film and video industries connected. Presenting artists's8217; portfolios to prospective employers online, CTN membership includes leading animators, illustrators, designers, web creators, production artists and other creatives. These artists have come together to market their talents, pursue common goals, share their experience, connect with other professionals worldwide and improve the ability for clients to connect with them

For additional information, you may contact Tracie Lynn Tucker, Release PR at 310.857.6970 or email t r a c i e @ r e l e a s e p r . c o m .

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